ICC Rejects Usman Khawaja Appeal Against Armband Sanction

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Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja suffered a blow when the International Cricket Council (ICC) denied his appeal against the punishment he received for wearing a black armband during the first Test match against Pakistan.

The ICC censured Khawaja last month for donning a black armband in remembrance of the children who have perished in the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine since October of last year.

The 37-year-old, who was born in Pakistan and is the first Muslim to play Test cricket for Australia, had challenged the reprimand saying that the armband was for a personal bereavement.

However, a report in Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday said that "Usman Khawaja's reprimand for wearing a black armband onto the field during the first Test against Pakistan in Perth will stand after the International Cricket Council rejected his appeal against the sanction..."

It was "according to a source close to the situation who wished to remain anonymous ahead of any public announcement being made". Cricket players are not allowed to wear signs supporting political, religious, or racial causes during international matches, according to ICC regulations.

Players may, however, wear black armbands to commemorate the passing of departed teammates, loved ones, or other noteworthy people provided the governing authority has given its previous consent. According to the ICC, Khawaja failed to obtain the necessary consent from either Cricket Australia or the ICC.

"Usman displayed a personal message (armband) during the first test match against Pakistan without seeking the prior approval of Cricket Australia and the ICC to display it, as required in the regulations for personal messages, ICC statement had said. "This is a breach under the category of an other breach' and the sanction for a first offense is a reprimand."

On December 13, Usman Khawaja had also shown up for a training session with the phrases "all lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right" emblazoned on his batting spikes. It was believed that Khawaja intended to wear them for the first Test.

"The ICC asked me day two (of the Perth Test) what (the black armband) was for, I told them it was for a personal bereavement. I never ever stated it was for anything else," Khawaja had said. "I respect the ICC and all the regulations they have, I will be asking them and contesting them From my point of view, that consistency hasn't been done yet. The shoes were for a different matter, I'm happy to say that, but the armband (reprimand) made no sense to me."

Additionally, Usman Khawaja refuted the idea that he had "any hidden agendas" after showing up for a training session sporting writing on his batting spikes that seemed to be a reference to the Gaza conflict.